They call it procrastination
by MonaLisa20
Summary: Sometimes delaying something is your best option. Especially when you're avoiding your commander after you precipitately kissed him. Ike/Soren one shot!


Hello my lovelies! I'm back again with another fic from the factory!

Can we pretend its still Monday? I fully intended on uploading it yesterday but it took me ages to correct, so….yeah here it is!

Here's some info on this story.

**Title:** They call it procrastination

One shot

**Genre:** Romance

**Parings:** Ike/Soren.

**Rating:** I'll go for…T this time

I've been working on this for a while; I really hope you enjoy it! Here it is!

* * *

><p><strong>THEY CALL IT PROCRASTINATION<strong>

* * *

><p>Another day, another aggravating meeting with the laguz alliance's general: Skrimir.<p>

Soren inwardly growled.

Even _he_ had to admit they had been lucky so far. And Soren didn't believe in luck or chance at all. The victory at Flaguerre had been easy enough, but Soren still wondered how long would they be able to keep progressing while dealing with Skrimir's idiotic whims.

Whoever made that arrogant fool a general had clearly not been all right in the head. Or maybe was way too desperate. Whichever the case, Soren cursed fate-if it even existed-for making _him_ deal with that exasperating lion.

"Now, our next target is Mugill" explained Ranulf while pointing at the map on top of the thick, wooden table "its gate is already sealed and it looks like they intend to keep it that way" He pursed his lips "This won't go as easily as our battle in Flaguerre"

Skrimir yawned, looking bored in his seat. Soren's brow twitched. How could he _not _be taking this seriously? It was his war after all!

"Beorc are all the same" Skrimir said nonchalantly "We will run them down, just as before"

"What do you think, Soren?" Ike turned to him, his arms were crossed and his frown looked a bit more stern than usual.

Soren leaned closer to the map. "The Flaguerre survivors will have warned Mugill of our advance" He stared at Skrimir and his eyes narrowed "That's so obvious even _you_ must have anticipated it" Ike gave him a look and Soren took a deep breath; he just had to be civil and endure it until this meeting was over.

'_Breathe in, breathe out…'_

"You don't have a plan?" He tried again, but couldn't quite get the edge off his voice.

Skrimir stood up and his eyes looked defiantly at Soren's form. Soren stared at him just the same, but Ike took a cautious step closer to the sage; just in case.

"Do not mock me, beorc boy" His voice was deep "Why should_ I_ bother with plans?"

Ranulf rolled his eyes, and for the first time Soren felt sympathy for the blue cat: he had to spend way more time with Skrimir than Soren did; he pitied him

"No soldier should cower after being challenged to a battle! We will issue a challenge, and they will meet it. We have no need for plans!"

'_What!' _Soren felt his jaw tightening "Do you realize how completely absurd you sound?"

"Soren" Ike warned him again.

"The enemy built the fortress so that they didn't have to stand outside of it! They will not come out on their own accord" Soren was growing angrier by the second, and so was Skrimir.

"Those beorc cowards!" Skrimir growled "They will hide from us!" He turned to Ranulf "What do we do? I do not know how to fight cowards!"

Ranulf sighed exasperated "Don't you get it? That's what we're trying to decide!" He pointed at the map "Think, Skrimir. Just try"

"No!" Skrimir pounded his fist against the table in rage "That's _your_ job, Ranulf! You're my second in command"

Ranulf was about to retort but Skrimir was already furiously walking towards the entrance of the tent "Think of a way for me to use my strength! Anything else is a waste of time" He practically ripped the tent flap open "I'll be training outside. Tell me when you have a _'plan'_" he spat mockingly and left.

…

Ranulf left the tent to try and talk Skrimir into coming back to the meeting.

Soren bit the inside of his cheeks and kept clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Relax, Soren" Ike put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. Soren turned to him and frowned "…This is ridiculous. I'm amazed someone was desperate enough to make that fool a general"

"I'm tempted to agree with you on that" they turned to see Ranulf coming back to the tent without the hot-headed lion (_thankfully)_.

"You couldn't get him to come back?" Titania-who hadn't said a single thing during the whole meeting-asked.

"Nah" Ranulf shrugged "But maybe it's better if we continue without him. Skrimir just doesn't strategize"

He dropped unceremoniously on the one chair that Skrimir had been occupying previously: the only chair in the tent.

"Why isn't Caineghis leading the army?" Ike asked. It seemed logical to Soren as well, and he would imagine it would be far more pleasant to discuss strategies with Gallia's king than with that unbearable excuse of a general; and that came from someone who wasn't fond of laguz **at all**.

"It's not an option" Ranulf made a face "We aren't mobile like the bird tribes. We can't just take our king away from his domain"

"Well, what about Giffca, then?" Ike asked again and Soren was beginning to think that maybe Ike liked Skrimir just about as much as Soren did "There have to be other capable generals in Gallia"

"I agree" Soren said right after.

"Giffca has other duties to attend to, so really, that just leaves Skrimir. Besides, as you all may know laguz choose their leaders based on strength…"

"I see" Soren replied "If Skrimir is to be the next king, this war is the best opportunity for him to learn about strategy" He surprised himself with how calmed he had said that.

"Exactly" Ranulf replied "Please, lend us your wisdom" He stood up and stared pleadingly at Soren-much like a lost kitten "Without your help this war's outcome is certain" His tone was plainly theatrical-even Ike could see it was all an act to try to convince Soren to participate and help Skrimir.

"You can count on us, Ranulf" Ike said reassuringly.

….maybe it wasn't as plain obvious as Soren thought. Or maybe Ranulf was truly desperate and Soren just wasn't in the mood after dealing with Skrimir.

"We're here to help" Titania smiled.

Everyone looked at Soren expectantly but he just wasn't going to give in that easily! If he agreed to this, that meant he would have to keep dealing with Skrimir (and another bunch of beasts) and that was likely to cause him a seizure or something of the sort.

"…"

"Soren, say something!" Titania looked at him with irritation.

"Soren," Ike said calmly "Ranulf helped us out. On top of that, he's our client. It's our turn to return the favor, and our job to do it right"

Soren sighed. He could never say no to Ike.

"…Fine" He finally said "But it'll cost you more"

But not even all the gold in Tellius could be a reasonable enough price to ask for having to work as a tactician for Skrimir. He was simply going to do it for _Ike_ (and Ike only).

"Thanks" Ranulf grinned "We appreciate the help"

"Give me some time to myself" Soren said in resignation "I'll come up with a plan to get us through this mess"

"Great" Ike smiled "We're counting on you, Soren"

"I know" Soren nodded "I'll do what I can"

…

Back on his tent, Soren found it extremely difficult to concentrate. He had a throbbing headache and for some reason his brain wanted to focus on everything but the strategy at hand. He had gone through weapon inventory twice, he had the report for Ike done (and even re-done, since he felt it was lacking information), he had gone over their funds at least five times and if that wasn't enough, he was even thinking about going through some mid-night convoy check-up and organize all of their supplies one by one (alphabetically even, if possible).

He rubbed his temples and stared at the detailed map he had over his desk.

"Alright…Mugill…." He mused. "How to break into the fort…Hmm"

He kept staring at the map…

'_Do we even have enough vulneraries for the next combat?' _He pondered. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea paying a visit to their storage…

He shook his head. They could shop for some vulneraries later; right now, he needed to come up with the plan to bring down Mugill. **MUGILL**. Not vulneraries, not funds, not weapons, and not even the report of their last battle (which could use some more information). Right now, he had to focus on Mugill…

"Hey, Soren-" The sage was startled when he suddenly heard Ike coming into his tent (unannounced, as always) "What are you doing?"

"Procrastinating" Soren muttered.

"Uh, okay…?"

"What is it that you needed?" He cleared his throat.

"Oh, right. Well," Ike stepped fully inside the tent and closed the flap behind him "I'm just checking up on you. You didn't show up for dinner and Mist was worried"

"I'm not hungry" Soren shook his head and his eyes went back to the map on his desk.

"Come on, you need food!" Ike smiled and pulled a chair next to Soren's "How else do you expect your brain to keep up with everything you put it through?"

"Hn" Soren just snorted and went back to inspecting the map before them. He wasn't sure why he kept staring at the map, he had it practically memorized and it wasn't as if the strategy was going to suddenly write itself on it (hopefully it would. If he stared at it hard enough, maybe?). But he needed to keep reminding his brain that this was what he needed to be focused on.

"So," Ike leaned closer in his seat, following Soren's gaze and staring at the map as well "Mugill, huh?"

"Yes, Mugill" Soren wasn't sure how many times he had to hear that name until it finally sank in. He crossed his arms over his chest tightly, and his eyes were _still_ looking at the map; no, more like_ glaring_ at the map.

"…And how's the plan going?" Ike asked, turning to look curiously at Soren.

"Not as expected" Soren replied coldly.

What was bothering him so much? Of course, the sage was a temperamental person-_everyone_ knew that-but he was usually more at ease around Ike. Was he still mad about that meeting with Skrimir?

"Is everything alright, Soren?"

His tactician turned to look at him with weary, ruby eyes. "It's nothing to worry about" He sighed and shifted on his sit.

"Hey," Ike grabbed his arm lightly "Talk to me. What's wrong?" Ike spoke to him softly and Soren could feel the frustration draining slowly. Soren kneaded his forehead with the tip of his fingers trying to get the headache to go away so that he could get this strategy over with.

"It's just-"He wetted his lips "I simply can't concentrate. I'm not sure why. I know I have to come up with this plan," He pointed at the map angrily "but for some reason I'm able to think about _everything_ else but this" He closed his eyes. This was very unprofessional on his behalf. He was the strategist! This was his job and he was supposed to be able to do it. Tactics weren't like art; they didn't come out of inspiration, but out if logical and clever thinking. He had no excuse to be slacking.

"You need some rest" Ike stated "You even look paler than usual" (And that was saying _something_). Ike frowned and moved closer to his face; inspecting it. Soren stiffened but didn't move an inch. Having Ike this close… he caught the scent of leather and moss.

"I'm not tired" He replied- and yet he stared at Ike through half-lidded eyes. His shoulder brushed Ike's arm and he could feel the warmth coming from Ike's skin through his dark grey robe.

"Are you feeling well?" Ike asked with a voice full of concern. He raised his hand and pressed it gently against Soren's cheek. The calloused skin of Ike's hand felt scratchy against Soren's soft face but the tactician didn't mind at all (if anything, he knew that he enjoyed it much more than he should).

"Of course" Soren gulped "Why wouldn't I?"

"Your face is pretty warm" Ike explained "And you're blushing"

Soren's eyes wandered from Ike's tresses of blue hair, to his deep blue eyes that were looking at him intently.

"Ike" He said feebly.

"Yeah?"

His gaze traveled down to Ike's lips-

Only to meet them with his own.

He was kissing Ike! He. Was. Kissing. Ike! The man he had secretly (and madly) loved since he was just a child. He felt himself trembling slightly. What was he doing? Was he out of his mind?

He pressed his lips again, and again, and again against the other man's. His hand found Ike's shoulder, pulling him down and gripping it firmly.

"I-"When he finally pulled away he was immediately hit by a wave of fear. What had he done?

He stared at Ike with wide, afraid, scarlet eyes. He stood up from his chair and stepped away.

"Soren," Ike stood up as well looking perplexed. "Wait-"

But Soren had already run out of the tent.

…

Soren just kept running until he reached the woods. Why on earth did he do that? Since when was he the impulsive type? Would Ike hate him now? Would Ike shun him? Would he order him to leave?

He stopped and rested his back against a tree to ponder on these options. If he gave it a logical thought, Ike probably _wouldn't_ dismiss him. They were in the midst of war. Finding another tactician at this point that they could entirely trust would be troublesome. They were fighting Begnion: A country full of formidable and well-trained soldiers, strategists and all sorts of combat experts. And even if they-by some miracle of the Goddess- found a tactician capable enough (in such a short notice) they were most likely to be a beorc, and making them cooperate with the laguz against other beorc would be nearly impossible. So therefore, Ike was likely to keep Soren in the company (at least until this war was over).

But if the friendship he cherished so much would be lost forever, well, he couldn't bring himself to give that a thought. To think that Ike-his only friend, his only one-would turn on him because of what happened…it was too painful.

Going back to that kiss, Soren involuntarily blushed. His lips were still tingling, and the excitement of finally having been able to fulfill one of his secret fantasies still ran through his body. He raised the tips of his slender fingers and touched delicately the skin of his mouth.

"Ike…" He whispered.

He could almost still feel his beloved commander's lips against his own, still catch that masculine scent which always followed Ike, still feel a bit of that characteristic warmth that emanates from his friend's skin no matter how cold the winter.

Ike had always been there for him, had always been close to him. He made him feel safe, made him feel needed, made him feel important. Whenever he cried, Ike was right there, ready to hold him and listen to him for as long as he needed. If there was anything that threatened Soren, Ike would protect him without thinking twice.

Home is where your heart is, or so they say, right? Well then, if that was true, Soren's home was wherever Ike was. And to think he would lose all of it out of a stupid impulse...

He just didn't want to consider that (and yet he kept doing it).

He slid down the tree and sat on the grass with his chin resting over his knees. He wasn't ready to go back and face Ike just yet.

…

He knew he couldn't hide forever. There was another meeting the next morning where he should present the strategy for the next battle (or at least, some of it). They still had two more days until the attack against the fort of Mugill, but there was no time to waste on trivial matters such as love and feelings; there was much more at stake.

So he dragged himself back to his tent only to find Ike wasn't there anymore. Why would he? After what Soren did, Ike probably wanted to be as far away from the sage as possible (even further). But maybe a part of him was being silly and secretly hoped Ike would still be there, and he would tell Soren everything was alright and that nothing would change between them. Of course, Soren wouldn't desire anything more than for Ike to love him back, but logic dictated otherwise; it just wasn't a plausible option. Ike wasn't interested in being with someone, Soren knew that much. Every time a woman approached him, he would turn them down. From Aimee who he would blatantly run away from, to Elincia who he esteemed very much but still wasn't interesting in becoming anything more than a dear, close friend (and of course, there were _plenty_ of other women who'd happily jump Ike's bones if given the chance).

But even if a small, childish side of him had hope and wanted to talk to Ike, the rational side overrode it with ease. He _dreaded_ facing his commander. And maybe _he_ was the one who wanted to be as far away from his friend as possible. Ike would demand an explanation and what would Soren say?

He went back to his desk and lit a few candles for him to see properly.

"You ruined everything" He muttered to himself.

He had to talk to Ike eventually; tomorrow most likely. He should better start thinking about what to say and how to salvage whatever he could.

And then he stared at the map.

'_The men at Mugill have already been informed about our advance'_ He pondered _'that means that by now, they probably have reinforced their vigilance'_

Slowly, the gears of his brain started turning…

And he could focus perfectly on the strategy to take down Mugill; he could see it now so clearly, he wondered why it had been so hard in the past hours. Yes, the plan may have its flaws since the next battle was going to definitely be a tough one, but this strategy was probably the best course of action.

He would present this at the meeting tomorrow morning (or in a few hours to be precise, since the sun was already rising).

The only thing he _now_ couldn't focus on was what to say to Ike…

…

"Good morning, Ike" Titania greeted him with a small smile and stood up from her chair. They had decided to add chairs for meetings after it became obvious-after the last Skrimir incident -that discussing tactics would take longer and be a bit more tedious than it had been during the last war.

"Yeah, good morning" Ike replied casually but his eyes wandered past Titania to scan the rest of the tent.

"Soren isn't here yet" Ranulf smirked from his seat as his eyes shone knowingly.

"Hm" Ike frowned and went to take his own chair across Titania. "Skrimir isn't here either" he noted when he saw the empty place at the top end of the table.

"Yeah, Skrimir isn't coming" Ranulf scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "He said he wanted to go train today" the silent _'again'_ resounded through the tent "I'll make sure to deliver the plan to him when he's back"

"Well, at least that'll lighten Soren's mood" Titania said "Don't you think so, commander?"

But Ike's mind was far off. He was frowning at the table with a sullen expression.

"Ike?"

"Huh?" Ike blinked and straightened in his seat "Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention"

"I said-"

"Excuse my tardiness" Everyone turned to look at the entrance of the tent to see Soren. He had the map rolled under his arm and few parchments on his hand.

"Why, If it isn't our favorite tactician" Ranulf grinned while Soren spread the map at the center of the table. "Soren being late? I think I now have seen everything" he snickered.

"What took you so long, Soren?" Titania asked.

"I had to settle some important matters" Soren turned to take his seat and his eyes met Ike's.

His breath caught.

Ike opened his mouth just slightly, as if he wanted to say something. Soren tore his gaze away and quickly took a seat next to Titania.

Ranulf raised his brows looking very much confused. He stared at Soren. Then at Ike. Then at Soren again. And then right at the chair next to Ike.

"Did something happen between you two?"

"Nothing," Soren cleared his throat "Can we proceed with the meeting? It isn't advisable to delay the alliance's advance any further. The army might lose momentum"

"Sure…"

But Ranulf still eyed them suspiciously.

…

"Ah, I see" Ranulf smiled looking pleased "So the girls first trick the watchmen, right?" He snaked his feline tail slowly "I've got to say, it's a pretty neat plan what you've got here"

"It's still risky and by no means infallible" Soren said.

"But it's our best bet. Let's give it a shot" Ike nodded.

Soren just kept avoiding Ike's stare. Every time their eyes connected, he'd avert his gaze in a heartbeat and look elsewhere. He knew that avoiding the issue would lead them nowhere, but if he couldn't muster a good enough excuse for Ike, then he better keep evading the situation.

"Righto! Then I guess this meeting is over. I'm off; I need to hand this to Skrimir" Ranulf took one of Soren's parchments in which the plan had been outlined.

"Alright. We better go tell the others as well" Titania said.

They all left the tent and Soren stayed behind to organize his belongings as usual. He was rolling the map and carefully stacking his parchments-

"We need to talk" Ike said.

"!" Soren's heart almost jumped a mile as Ike made his presence known. He froze where he stood and his eyes carefully met his commander.

"Is there something about the strategy that you wish to discuss?" He gulped.

"It's not about the strategy. You know very well what I'm talking about"

"Oh… That" Soren tried to sound nonchalant. But inside he was dealing with a massive turmoil. Now came the part of the explanation. What should he tell him? What excuse would he give him?

"Yes, that" Ike said.

"O-of course" His voice trembled slightly "We definitely must. However, right now I'm immensely busy" He walked away slowly "There are other matters we should be focused on right now, and…we should leave this issue for later"

And with that he quickly stalked to the exit.

…

'_Well, that went smooth enough' _He smacked his forehead against his desk back at his tent. The plan for Mugill was done and the advance on Begnion would continue tomorrow at night. Perhaps if he delayed this matter long enough Ike would simply let it slip and both could continue as if nothing's happened. He could blame the stress, he could tell Ike he had a nervous breakdown and wasn't aware of what he was doing.

Would Ike believe that? Probably not. But it was still the best excuse he had for now.

He had to talk to Ike; he simply had to. There was no way around it. If he had already kissed him…maybe actually telling him how he felt wouldn't be as bad?

He stood up "I've better go and talk to Ike" He mumbled.

But his feet took a detour and led him elsewhere.

…

"My, my, Soren!" Aimee spoke with a silken voice "What can I do for you today?"

"I…" Soren started "I would like to purchase three herbs, a new mend staff and an elixir, please"

"But of course" She smiled sultrily "That'd be 5,800 gald, please"

Soren squinted "Is that so, rose of Tellius?"

Aimee's smile widened.

"Today you're looking more beautiful than ever, Miss Aimee, a true delight for the eyes" Soren said.

"Ooo…Now you're talking" She winked.

…

Soren just kept avoiding Ike. He kept delaying talking, kept going somewhere else when he fully (alright, partially) intended to go and find his commander to resolve the situation.

He justified this with telling himself he was simply busy. He had to attend to other matters. He had to _finally _organize the convoy alphabetically, had to check the company's armory, had to rewrite some report for Ike (which he would never share, at this point), had to train with his tomes so that he could master any wind spell there was on Tellius…

He simply had to do something else, anything else that wasn't…well, wasn't what he actually had to do (like confronting Ike). And if his path ever crossed his superior's, he'd run away and hide much like Ike did with Aimee.

Whether Ike noticed this or not remained a mystery. For he never chased after Soren, he simply let him be.

However, the fight against Mugill finally came and there was no way he could stray far enough from Ike on the battlefield without compromising the strategy. Soren just hoped he could avoid him enough without putting himself at risk for being childish and immature.

The Greil mercenaries stayed in formation, waiting for Mist and the twins to get back. Ike turned around and stared at him right in the eye.

"Soren-"

"Not now, Ike" Soren stared at him sternly.

Ike retook his position wordlessly.

Lyre, Lethe and Mist came back running.

"Looks like the watchmen are all asleep. Great job, everyone" Ike said.

The girls nodded and quickly went to take their positions.

"The first step is done" Soren turned to the rest of the company "Next, we clear the remaining guards and open the main gate"

"Ranulf and his troops are waiting outside for us. Let's go!" Ike said.

Everyone moved forward.

…

"Wh-Who are you?" they stumbled upon a very frightened guard. Evidently, they had taken him by surprise.

"Sub-humans! What's going on ? !" Another guard yelled "What happened to the lookout ? !"

Another man with lustrous armor-the leader, clearly- came running "Stand your ground! Our reinforcements will be here soon. Hold fast until they arrive!" He went back to wherever he previously was and the enemy quickly took its fighting stance.

…

The battle went smoothly. The enemy was falling easily enough. Soren kept his distance from Ike, choosing to fight closer to Mia who happily protected him-for some strange and unknown reason.

And then, Soren started noticing something which was…odd. Ike kept staring at him right In the middle of the fray. He kept giving him this look… which Soren just couldn't precisely read. But he kept looking at him in that odd way whenever Soren walked and took an enemy further away from where Ike stood.

"Soren! I've told you like a million times already! Watch your back!" Mia took down a halberdier which had intended to hit him.

Soren just nodded and followed her when she took off. And then…things just got all the more weird. Ike now stared at _Mia_ and he wasn't staring at her lightly, no, he was staring at her almost…angrily. Hm. Soren was probably just seeing things.

And then, suddenly, while Mia was busy fighting a paladin, an arrow pierced Soren's right thigh. Soren clutched at the wound but quickly took care of the archer with an Elwind spell.

"Oh! Soren," Mia kneeled down next to him "You're hurt! Here, let me get that-"

"I've got this, Mia" Ike's warning voice made Mia stop her motions. Soren frowned. Hadn't Ike been considerably far from them? Had he seriously just come all the way here for this?

"But, boss…" Mia stared at Soren's wound and then at the herb in her hand.

"I'll take care of him, just go finish the rest of the guards off"

"On it, boss!" Mia needed no further persuasion and was quickly on her feet and already running off.

Ike sighed and kneeled- just like Mia had before- next to where Soren was sitting on the ground.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had relied on _me_ instead of Mia" Ike frowned and opened a vulnerary.

"The wound is not that deep…" Soren said but let Ike grab his thigh gently and rip some of the fabric of his pants open. Blood poured from the open flesh freely, but on closer inspection, it wasn't that bad at all. A herb should suffice; wasting a vulnerary on this wasn't necessary and would only be a waste.

Soren thought about saying so, but the angry look Ike had on his face, warned him not to.

"Seriously, since when are you close with her?" Ike asked. His hand applied the vulnerary on Soren's skin carefully.

"I thought-"

"Well just don't, okay?" Ike said and took some bandages from a pouch in his belt to wrap them around Soren's wound.

"Why are you so mad?" Soren raised his voice just slightly "It's just a flesh wound!"

"But it could have been worse" Ike helped him to his feet "Just stop avoiding me, alright? I-I can't even concentrate on the fight! I'm just following you around"

Soren nodded, truly defeated.

"Alright" Ike said "Don't leave my side, I'll protect you"

"Understood" Soren mumbled.

…

The final enemy fell to Ike's sword.

"Are we clear?" Ike quickly inspected the area "Good work, everyone. Open the gate!"

Soren took the opportunity to slowly walk away from Ike.

"Where are you going?" Ike turned to him frowning.

"There aren't any more enemies" Soren stated simply.

"And…?" Ike asked.

"…Phew. Great timing, Ike" Ranulf-along with the rest of the gallian army-came running inside and Soren took this chance to run away.

…

The laguz alliance kept advancing and eventually crossed into Seliora.

Once again back in camp, they had yet another meeting on how to proceed for the next attack.

"Flaguerre, Mugill and Telgam are ours." Ranulf said "But this war has just started. The enemy's main force is in Sienne, the capital. The real fight starts now"

Skrimir grinned "Ah, now we fight the big battle! My claws itch for beorc flesh"

"Before we go, we must fight the northern nobles. Their collective army is massive" Ranulf explained.

Soren frowned and crossed his arms over his chest "By now, I imagine the Begnion Central Army is headed our way. They are going to be our real problem"

"I don't like the sound of this" Ike said and turned to his tactician "Soren, do you have a deployment plan worked out?"

Soren didn't meet his eyes.

"Actually, why don't you all just relax?" Ranulf smiled "You might not believe it but _WE_ have a plan this time!"

…

Soren walked through the camp, his gaze was fixed in the parchment on his hands. He had scribbled down the strategy that Ranulf had dictated and was quickly going through the details.

It had been precisely three weeks since he had last spoken to Ike on the Mugill battlefield. Since then he had avoided his commander like the plague. He knew he had been shamelessly procrastinating. Shamelessly forcing himself to focus on other things rather than confronting Ike, but here he was…_still _delaying the issue.

He bumped against someone-

"Here you are"

"Ike!" Soren stared utterly surprised at him, he took a step back.

"Soren, we need to talk and there is no way I will let you run away this time" Ike grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards his tent.

Ike's tent was the biggest one on the camp next to Skrimir's. He had a cot, a desk (which he probably never used), and a small table in the far corner with a bowl of water (most likely to wash his face).

"We don't have time for this" Soren said.

"Look, we just can't keep ignoring each other. None of us is getting out of here until this is settled" Ike replied frowning.

"…Fine" Soren sighed. And now it was time to talk about it. It had been so sudden he hadn't really thought about anything to say. Well then, he should simply tell the truth and hope for the best. Ike would understand, wouldn't he? This was Ike. He wouldn't turn on him. He had never before, not even after knowing Soren's darkest secret, why would he now? He kept his hopes up.

"Ike, I'm-"

"I'm sorry I kissed you"

'_Huh?'_Soren was taken aback.

"What did you say?" Soren asked.

"I'm sorry I kissed you; I truly am. I know it has been bothering you and I apologize" Ike took a step closer but his eyes where doubtful "I didn't mean to scare you away. I am aware I have crossed a line between us two, I never meant for that to happen" He wetted his lips "I just…acted on an impulse, I guess. I know that's no excuse but still," He said "I hope you can forgive me. To be honest, I miss you"

Soren's eyes were wide open "…_You_ kissed me?" He asked completely stupefied. His heart was beating so fast and so loud, he worried Ike might be able to hear it. The conversation had taken an unexpected turn….

"Uh, well, yeah" Ike looked puzzled "You don't remember?"

"I do!" Soren cleared his throat (to cover up he was almost choking) "But why would you do that?"

"…Because I love you"

It was as if something had shattered in Soren's brain. There. Ike had said it just like that: With no fear, no shame, and no hesitation.

His breath caught in his chest and he just stared, gaping at his commander.

"If it bothers you I won't say it again" Ike said "But it's still the truth. Nothing has to change if you don't want to. We can go back to how everything was before and never speak about this again"

Soren stared.

…And stared. And just kept staring. His expression was vacant and he felt as though his head had been disconnected from the rest of his body. Was this real? Was this truly happening? Was he dreaming? Was his mind playing tricks on him?

"Soren, can you please say something?" Ike said expectantly.

"I thought…" Soren started "I thought I had kissed you"

"Huh?" Ike blinked.

"I thought I had been the one who kissed you, not vice versa"

"Wait-let me get this straight" Ike said "_You_ wanted to kiss me?"

"Yes" Soren nodded, blushing slightly "That is the reason I have been avoiding you. I thought you might reject me and-"

"Why did you want to kiss me?" Ike said in a voice Soren had never heard before.

"…For the same reasons you did" Soren lowered his gaze to the floor.

He felt one of Ike's hands on his waist, pulling him slightly closer. The other cupped his cheek and gently turned his head so that their eyes met.

"Tell me" Ike said.

Soren couldn't even breathe.

"Because I love you as well"

Their lips met hesitantly at first. It was merely a gentle brush before they parted quickly. They stared at each other, their gazes no more than an inch apart. Ike descended again and pressed his lips fully against his tactician's. The kiss was deeper now and longer. Their hands grasped each other tightly in fear the other might run away.

When they finally pulled away, Ike embraced him tightly-possessively even.

"Don't ever run away from me again" Ike smiled "It was driving me crazy"

Soren's face was buried in Ike's chest.

"Never again, I promise to remain by your side forever"

"Good," Ike brushed his fingers through Soren's long hair lovingly "Cause I'd chase you and bring you back to me this time"

Soren smiled.

_Ca c'est le fin_

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><p>Thank you so much for taking the time to read another story from the factory!<p>

I hope to read from all of you soon!

If you enjoyed this story, would you please review? It'd make my day!

~MonaLisa


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